Weddings Summer 2012 > Planner

Mark Fahrer Caterer

Fahrer is a master of creative Continental party food (such as baby lamb chops as hors d’oeuvre) and an old hand at international cooking (a favorite from Morocco is b’steeya—squab, nut, and raisin pie). He says he puts his psychology degree to work when he meets with clients: first assessing personality types, then customizing the menu. From $100 per person.

Mary Guiliani Catering & Events

Giuliani puts a chic twist on time-honored comfort foods: She adds truffles and foie gras to grilled cheese sandwiches and transforms macaroni and cheese into a spicy Parmesan tartlet. Couples who prefer to eschew the formal sit-down dinner can opt for a chic buffet. Prices upon request.

Michael Stuart NY

Michael Stuart Steifman’s full-service company serves farmers’ market–inspired menus that can include beet tartare with whole-grain aïoli, eggs mimosa, baby arugula, and brioche. With the client’s permission, the socially responsible team donates leftover food to the city’s rescue mission. Cocktails from $100 per person; seated dinner from $225, including alcohol.

Miss Elisabeth’s Catering

After graduating from the French Culinary Institute, Elisabeth Weinberg launched her catering company with an eye on local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. An elegant summer feast might include light fare like pan-seared sea scallops with white-bean purée and basil-crusted lamb loin with tomato risotto and braised fennel. From $150 per person. (ecofriendly)

The Movable Feast

Since 1979, this caterer has planned menus that incorporate clients’ family recipes, such as Grandma’s Sicilian veal, beef, and pignoli meatballs for a homesick Italian bride. Dishes like miso-glazed sea bass and herb-crusted filet mignon with a Barolo-and-portobello-mushroom reduction abound. From $150 per person.

Naturally Delicious Caterers and Event Planners

This Brooklyn caterer features seasonal, locally grown ingredients, some of which come straight from its half-acre backyard organic garden. Founder Loren Michelle and her team help couples customize their menus—which can involve everything from passed hors d’oeuvre to a full sit-down dinner, including the cake—from a slew of multiethnic choices, comfort foods, and fusion styles. Full-service cocktails from $150 per person; seated dinners from $225. (ecofriendly)

Nova Catering

Christophe Barbier’s team can handle all the particulars of a wedding, from venue selection to D.J.’s and customized menus. Whether the reception is a formal sit-down affair or a free-flowing cocktail hour, these caterers will provide an eclectic culinary array. Prices upon request.

Olivier Cheng Catering and Events

These detail-oriented caterers work hard to please the couples who hire them—for a half-vegan pair, they created two entirely different six-course menus. They specialize in New American cuisine with European and Asian influences; think truffled grilled cheese with celery relish and chilled salmon with spinach purée. From $250 per person.

PCK Catering

A 26-year culinary veteran, Peter Callahan of Callahan Catering has expanded into glatt-kosher food that is anything but predictable. Whimsical hors d’oeuvre, including spicy tofu fortune cookies with a custom saying, and elegant entrées such as a crispy sautéed halibut with chervil sauce, are expertly prepared with the certified kosher circle-K stamp of approval. From $300 per person.

Pies-N-Thighs

For weddings, P-N-T serves up delectable family-style meals like fried chicken and biscuits, smoked brisket, beer-battered zucchini with honey and herbs, and their Brooklyn-famous Southern-style pies. From $20 per person. (good value)

Pinch Food Design

Dynamic duo Bob Spiegel and TJ Girard lead a team of culinary vets to deliver “food furniture” that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. Expect small bites like Brussels-sprout chips and thyme brioche toast, and hors d’oeuvre like eggplant-lamb ravioli. Prices upon request.

Radish

For the ecoconscious couple, this company has a farmers’ market–based dinner menu that includes options like pan-seared pork tenderloin with whiskey-roasted peach salad and grilled spring onions. Hors d’oeuvre and seated dinner from $125 per person. (ecofriendly)

The Raging Skillet

Couples with adventurous palates can count on this “anti-caterer” for bold dishes. Chef Rossi’s specialty is ethnic weddings—a Jamaican-themed menu might include jerk beef with mango chutney. From $110 to $220 per person.

Real Food Catering

This versatile company can create anything from a small gourmet seated dinner to a 200-person buffet. Worldly summer-menu choices include spiced Thai shrimp with mint, cilantro, and coconut glaze, and Argentine steak with chimichurri sauce. From $125 per person for cocktails and seated dinner.

Red Table Catering

These Brooklyn-based caterers specialize in hearty, home-cooked food, and are known to collaborate with couples to prepare their favorite dishes and family recipes. They recently created a customized South American tapas menu that included rocoto relleno with melted cheese and saffron-manchego croquettes. From $145 per person.

Robbins Wolfe Eventeurs

Whether you’re going for a haute Hamptons banquet or an offbeat downtown smorgasbord, these pros can nail it. They specialize in classics with a twist, as evinced by iconoclastic dishes like surf and turf with roasted Long Island sea bass, and potato-and-horseradish crust braised beef short rib. From $150 to $300 per person.

Roberta's

This Brooklyn favorite has done casual North Fork weddings, traditional multicourse dinners at the Green Building, and many on-site garden weddings featuring wine-paired dinners, hog roasts, and campfires with s’mores. Pizza parties from $20 per person; seated dinners from $65 per person; pig roasts and specialty parties from $75 per person.

Ryan Brown Catering New York

This ecoconscious company, owned by a French Culinary Institute grad, can work with diverse budgets to plan health-focused menus that emphasize locally sourced ingredients. Typical dishes include rosemary pappardelle with squash blossoms, and Pineland Farms beef short ribs braised in Long Island Merlot. From $60 to $150 per person. (ecofriendly)

From the Summer 2012 New York Wedding Guide